George Russell crossed the Belgian GP finish line in P1 on Sunday, but glory was short-lived for the Briton. The FIA deemed his car underweight, as a result of which he was disqualified from the race, and his teammate Lewis Hamilton inherited the victory. 1996 world champion Damon Hill, however, points out that the margins were not so big.
On his X account, Hill suggested that Russell‘s strategy led to his car losing weight because of tire degradation. “He did 1 stop. So tires on the limit of wear = less weight,” he said.
Two points to understand:
1/ He did 1 stop. So tyres on the limit of wear = less weight
2/ There was no ‘cool down’ lap where he could ‘add weight’ by picking up discarded rubber on the track with his sticky tyres. A much used and legal method to ensure maximum car weight. #f1 https://t.co/zaDTtDGdJj— Damon Hill (@HillF1) July 28, 2024
Additionally, Hill points out how there was no cooldown lap at Spa Francorchamps, which is the norm due to the length of the track, and it could have affected Russell’s car weight. “There was no ‘cool down’ lap where he could ‘add weight’ by picking up discarded rubber on the track with his sticky tires. A much used and legal method to ensure maximum car weight.”
Hill retweeted a post from David Croft’s X account, where the latter revealed that former strategist Bernie Collins told him about the possibilities. Regardless, for Russell, it was heartbreak, a mistake that he and the team could have avoided.
Meanwhile, Hamilton got his second win of the 2024 season, which made him the only driver other than Max Verstappen to win multiple races this year.
Hamilton’s reaction to Belgian GP win
Mercedes finished 1-2 before the FIA’s ruling took it away from them. Russell ended the Belgian GP weekend with no points as a result, and even though Hamilton’s result was positive, losing out on points was difficult.
Hamilton labeled the ordeal as “disappointing”. He said, “It is of course disappointing for the team to lose the 1-2 but there are lots of positives to take away from today”.
The Belgian GP win was Hamilton’s 105th in F1, and the 39-year-old added more silverware to his already glittering trophy haul. Russell made his one-stop strategy work on Sunday, as did Hamilton with his two-stop. It all worked out for Mercedes eventually, before a grave error on Russell’s side of the camp handed the victory to the seven-time champion.
